The 256GB Samsung 850 Pro is the fastest consumer SSD we have seen to date. Thanks to Samsung's new 3D V-NAND the 850 Pro has lower power consumption and better performance, albeit marginally, than both the 840 Evo and 840 Pro. Looking at the benchmark figures for the 840 and 850 Pros shows that the effective performance improvement is 10% whereas the 850 Pro beats the 840 Evo by 16%. These drives effectively saturate SATA 3.0 making it difficult to distinguish between them in day-to-day use. At current prices the 850 Pro is prohibitively expensive, prices need to drop by 15% before it approaches the 840 Pro from a value perspective. Samsung may release a value orientated 850 Evo soon, but for now "most" users are better off with the 840 Pro. [Oct '14SSDrivePro]

The Vertex 4 is just over a year old but thanks to its recent firmware update (1.5), it still manages to perform almost on a par with the best drives currently available. One of the striking aspects of the Vertex is its well-rounded performance profile. With an AS-SSD score of 1137 and a real world speed of 548 the Vertex 4 is able to cope extremely well with both server and consumer type workloads. This drive uses the new Indilux Everest 2 controller, which unlike the previous generations of this drive which used a SandForce controller, is able to cope admirably with both compressible and incompressible data. Overall, the Vertex 4 is a great performing SSD that said, there are better value for money (and younger) drives available, including the Vertex 4's own successor, the OCZ Vector. [Jun '13SSDrivePro]

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

Welcome to our 2.5" and M.2 SSD comparison. We calculate effective speed for both SATA and NVMe drives based on real world performance then adjust by current prices per GB to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top SSDs. [SSDrivePro]

Welcome to our freeware PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best upgrades.